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Green Printing

Green Printing

by Kasen Seaver on October 13th, 2008

Like many industries, commercial printing is rapidly changing its standards for production in order to incorporate social and environmental responsibility.

Nuri Riazati, CEO and co-founder of BIZCard, launched the business (a sister company to American Business Card) in March of 2006. BIZCard encompassed his vision of empowering entrepreneurs worldwide with affordable, professional marketing tools and integrated green building practices, along with environmentally-friendly processes.

With over 25,000 exclusive images, BIZCard offers web-based templates for business staples such as cards, postcards, letterhead, magnets, invitations, note cards and announcements. Many industries, including education, retail, transportation, hospitality and health and wellness, utilize the service. The company also offers graphic design services, web design and hosting, and marketing advice.

In a recent interview, Tammara Anderton, chief marketing officer of BIZCard, discussed eco-minded principles and processes implemented by the company since its inception.

Conservation From the Ground Up

To conserve electricity, BIZCard is housed in a facility with energy-efficient lighting, a triple-insulated roof and west wall and reflective windows. With regard to the daily operation of the facility, it is a requirement to power down all machines at the end of every work day. “It's important for us to protect our environment and not waste all of that electricity at night,” said Anderton.

Presses That Impress

The printing industry is notorious for pollution with the use of solvents, chemicals, inks, wastewater and waste paper. At BIZCard, a large initial investment was made in equipment that benefited not only employees but also the environment.

A typical printing press uses 100 sheets of paper, according to Anderton, as well as dangerous chemicals. However, BIZCard uses two less-harmful presses:

A press that uses one sheet of paper, creating minimal waste

A digital imaging press that contains absolutely no film, plates or chemicals

Because waterless ink is used, employees' exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chemicals is minimized.

Positive Purchases

Even though the company is still in its infancy, its feeling of social responsibility is continually growing. Aside from the equipment used, BIZCard also promotes green printing practices through the use of paper and other office products that have 30 percent or higher post consumer waste content. The company also efficiently uses inks and toners and recycles 100 percent of its paper waste.

The company also has a partnership with American Forests, a non-profit organization that plants trees for environmental restoration. “Every order plants a tree,” said Anderton. BIZCard sponsors the planting of at least one tree with a $1 donation from every order you place. So far, the company has planted over 5,000 trees. One tree can produce approximately 250,000 business cards.

Future Features

BIZCard is researching implementing a program that recycles business cards. Think about how many business cards are thrown away in your office when someone leaves a position or if the company switches locations. If you could turn in those business cards and have new ones printed, possibly for free, it would certainly be an incentive to recycle them.

Cross-Cultural Expansion

When asked to describe her favorite aspect of her job, Anderton responded, “It's exciting to extend our global reach day by day. We are embedding socially responsible, entrepreneurial values into our customers and products.” With clients in over 60 countries, employees of BIZCard are learning about cross-cultural perceptions regarding paper.

Favorite of the Three R’s

Reuse. “One man's junk is another one's treasure; it's like an adventure to be able to take something and be creative enough to challenge yourself to figure out a new use,” Anderton said. As an example of cost savings through reuse, she explained how 25 presses were salvaged and reassembled into 15 that are currently in operation in the facility today.

BIZCard is a company that not only “talks the talk but walks the walk.” It combines its mission of providing affordable marketing opportunities to small business owners with minimizing its impact on the environment.

BIZPress

Launching BIZCard professional quality design and marketing communication for small businesses online

BIZCard is an innovative online marketing provider designed for entrepreneurial and small to medium sized businesses. Features include easy to use web-based templates with advanced editing capabilities, and access to an extensive portfolio of industry specific designs created from years of marketing research. BIZCard enables small businesses to project a professional, unified image with affordable marketing and print products all easily ordered online.

Corporate Enhancement Group designed BIZCard to target the needs of individuals and companies with limited or no marketing resources. Its sister company, American Business Card, founded in 1990, was inspired by an entrepreneur faced with creating his first brand identity. American Business Card went on to become a market leader within the dental care segment. Fifteen years of experience later, BIZCard combines similar ingenuity and innovation with an extensive portfolio of over 25,000 exclusive images.

Our objective is to make high-quality, professional design and marketing communication available to everyone without complication and unnecessary cost. BIZCard designs are unique yet industry specific; our advanced editor and web-based templates are uncomplicated and easy to use; our highly competitive pricing structure is based on quantity, with no hidden fees and surprises at check-out.

“Our marketing team understands how important it is for small businesses to maximize the power of a limited budget. Rather than discounting, we choose to build our brand around the concept of more marketing for a $1. BIZCard customers can purchase an additional 250 of any product for just one dollar, underlying our commitment to innovative, accessible and affordable marketing,” said Nuri Riazati, BIZCard Founder and CEO.

About BIZCard

BIZCard is a subsidiary of Corporate Enhancement Group. Since CEG’s establishment in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993, it has successfully partnered with thousands of businesses in over 52 countries to increase marketing productivity via technology platforms. Corporate Enhancement Group produces print products in-house, limiting cost and production time. Featured services of online marketing include brand management, brand asset management, distribution management, and cost and content management.